Sasuke: Raimeiden
by Foolscapper
Summary: What if Naruto had left with Orochimaru instead of Sasuke? This story takes place after the original Part 1 of Naruto, in an alternate timeline where Naruto joins the darkside instead of Sasuke. Will Sasuke be able to save his friend? Read on to find out. Review please!
1. Chapter 1: Calling

"Chidori Negishi!"

I swiped my right arm violently through the air before me, blasting forth a web of deadly, crackling blue lightning. A giant boom echoed throughout the cavern, reverberating against the walls of the cold stone prison as the sheer power of my jutsu ripped open a miniature crater in the ground. The horde of small demonic foxes before me, referred to as Chikyuubi by Konoha ninja, yelped in agony as they were mercilessly paralysed and flung away in spasms of excruciating agony.

Without warning, one of the crimson-furred beasts who had escaped my wave of electricity leaped at me from the dark shadows and sank its canines viciously into the flesh of my shoulder.

I flinched as the pain dissolved my Chidori.

"Grr!" Furious, I whirled to the right. "Chidori Dai Ken!"

My left palm flashed for an instant with a humongous blade constructed purely out of a stream of furious lightning as I vanished, then reappeared silently behind the unsuspecting creature. A single glowing line stained the middle of its abdomen.

It uttered a beastly moan, then collapsed to the floor in two halves. Menacing chakra gushed forth from its insides and evaporated, leaving behind a soulless hull.

Sighing, I paused to wipe sweat off my forehead before looking around.

So far, I had yet to find another living soul in this hideout of Orochimaru's. It had already been three hours. Sakura and Kakashi-sensei were still busy in the North section. They probably hadn't found anything either. Was _he_ really here?

Suddenly, something itched at my senses.

"Sharingan!" I thought in my mind, willing the legendary power of the Uchiha clan to flood my irises.

Beyond the wall on the other side, there was no doubt, it was chakra. And it wasn't just any chakra…

My mind ventured back to my last battle with _him_ at the Final Valley.

Galvanised by emotion, I swiftly smashed my way through the barrier with my Chidori.

"Well, if it isn't Uchiha Sasuke."

I gasped in shock, it wasn't _him_; it was none other than Yakushi Kabuto, one of Orochimaru's lackeys.

"Where is he?" I demanded. How had his chakra become so similar to _his_?

The white-haired man smirked as he mischievously adjusted his glasses, "Naruto? Why, he's around here somewhere, isn't he?"

I thrust a long spear of Chidori forward, stopping inches before his neck. "I asked you where he was!"

"Why? So you can bring him home?" Kabuto chuckled. "Believe me; he doesn't want to go back. He belongs to Lord Orochimaru now."

Consumed with rage, I lifted my Chidori spear and sliced it downwards vigorously.

He barely reacted as a sphere of dark, bloody chakra formed around him, preventing my blade from reaching its target.

I recognised that shield instantly. "But that's…"

"The power of Nine-tails."

The ball of chakra erupted with a massive shockwave, slamming me into a wall. When I opened my eyes, Kabuto had already been coated with a layer of bubbling, red chakra. His eyes had turned into slits; his teeth had snarled into fangs, and a pair of tails extended from his back.

"How…how do you have the power of Ninte-tails?"

Kabuto merely grinned and launched himself forward, releasing two clawed chakra arms.

I dodged into the air and retaliated with a barrage of Chibori Senbon which he parried aside with chakra. Wielding my sword, I landed and slashed at him. In response, he blocked with a chakra-armored arm. The two of us exchanged a flurry of blows. He punched, I ducked, twisting into a maneuverable position on the ground and skillfully kicked him off his feet. He somersaulted to face me but it was already too late. I was centimeters in front of him.

"CHIDORI!"

"Rasengan."

Wind and lightning exploded in a vast array around me, no, around us. There _he_ was, in front of me, except that _his_ radiant smile had been replaced by an expression so cold that for a moment I was unsure that it was really _him_.

"Naruto?" I breathed.

"Futon: Bakuhatsu Rasengan."

BOOM! The force of the explosion threw me back while inflicting grave injury. Feeling dizzy, I knelt down while coughing up blood, struggling to make out _his_ face in the smoke which had saturated the room.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke?" he muttered in a dead voice. He was dressed in an orange shirt and black pants with a large purple rope coiled around the middle.

"To bring you back, of course!" retorted I.

My reply produced no reaction from him. He merely turned to face Kabuto while saying, "You're wasting your time. Shouldn't you be hunting down your brother Itachi?"

Forcing myself up, I glared at him. "I'm bringing you back, whether you like it or not."

"I wonder… if you can."

At this point, a wave of cold and dark chakra emanated from him which was so powerful that it threatened to drown me in its blackness.

I staggered. "Naruto. What's happened to you?"

He turned to stare at me. "Nothing. I've just grown up. Seen the truth."

After saying those words, the figure of Orochimaru manifested beside him in a burst of purple flames. "Naruto, Kabuto, it's time to go. Oh, Sasuke, you've come to take back Naruto, I presume?"

"Shut up!" I roared at the pale villain.

Orochimaru smiled. "Well, let us get going."

"Stay right there!"

Arming both my palms with Chidori, I pounced towards them in desperation.

Naruto stepped forward.

"Hadou Rasengan."

A single ball of Rasengan charged forth from his outstretched arm. It stopped between us, then vibrated and erupted into a massive cyclone which encompassed the entire room, sending objects flying and obscuring my vision with blinding winds.

When it died down, the trio had already vanished.

Sakura and Kakashi-sensei came rushing in not long after.

"Sasuke! What happened?" cried Sakura as she came to my side and took hold of me but I couldn't move, I couldn't speak.

The only thing I could do was fall onto my knees in grief. I had failed again.

"Sasuke!" she called in a sweet voice full of concern.

"It seems," started Kakashi-sensei, "That you met Naruto here, Sasuke?"

I nodded.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I lost him… again."

Sakura silently tightened her embrace around me but I could feel no warmth, no comfort, only despair.

Would I ever be able to see my friend smile again?

_to be continued… _


	2. Chapter 2: Team 7 Complete?

Character Biography: Uchiha Sasuke (16, Jonin)

Three years have passed since his clash with Uzumaki Naruto at the Final Valley. Constantly blaming himself for allowing his best friend to join the dark side, he has pledged to rescue Naruto from Orochimaru's clutches. He also seeks vengeance against his brother Itachi for the massacre of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke has spent the past three years searching for Naruto while polishing his jutsu under Kakashi's tutelage. Signature Jutsu: Chidori.

"So? How was it?"

Seeing that I was in no mood to speak, Kakashi-sensei stepped forward and began relating the events of our previous mission to the Fifth Hokage: Tsunade.

"I see," she sighed as he finished. "I still can't believe he of all people would join forces with Orochimaru."

"I will bring him back!"

My sudden outburst caught the gazes of everyone in the office. After a short moment of silence, the Hokage smiled.

"Now, onto the next order of business. Shizune?"

The Hokage's raven-haired aide nodded and stepped forward, her pet pig Tonton in her arms, "Team Kakashi, we have decided to a fourth member to your current three-man cell in order to assist in the retrieval of Uzumaki Naruto."

"Another member?" mused Kakashi-sensei.

"Please come in," said Shizune.

The doors creaked open, and in stepped a guy who looked about the same age as me. He had extremely disheveled snow-coloured hair, kept together by a red Konoha headband that was covered in scratches and he wore a generic Konoha ninja vest over a set of ragged white shirt and shorts.

"His name is Inuzuka Taiga," Shizune introduced.

"Inuzuka?" Sakura questioned, "The same Inuzuka as Kiba?"

"No. I left the clan long ago," the newcomer abruptly interrupted. "Just call me Taiga."

"Well, I hope you guys will be able to work well together." Tsunade smiled.

"Just a sec," Taiga walked up and gleamed at me with his blood-red pupils. "The only reason I accepted this was because I heard the famous _Uchiha Sasuke_ would be in this team."

Unperturbed, I demanded, "What about it?"

He grinned, baring his fangs, "You, me. One on one. Right now."

Shizune started. "Taiga! Enough of this nonsense! You should-"

"Alright," I cut in. "Let's do it."

I was itching for a fight.

Moments later, we were facing each other in the open space right in front of the Hokage's residence with Sakura and Kakashi-sensei watching silently from the sidelines.

"I'll let you go first," said Taiga.

I smirked, then squatted and weaved the signs of the Ox, Rabbit and Monkey.

The sound of chirping words resonated through the air as the familiar blue glow of Chidori swallowed my right palm whole.

"So… that's Hatake Kakashi's famous Chidori, eh?" He stretched his left palm forward while gripping the wrist with his right hand. "Tora Tsume no Jutsu (_Tiger Claw Jutsu)_!"

A furious, shining shell of silver energy burst forth from his hand, writhing as if it possessed a consciousness of its own.

Intrigued, I shifted into a ready stance, and then dashed forward at full speed. He did the same.

And our jutsu clashed together.

After meshing against with each other for a while, both chakras dissipated with a violent zap. I didn't hesitate; leaping backwards immediately and retaliating with a Fire Style Gokakyu no Justu. He burst right through it unharmed and fired a right hook directly at my face.

I turned, hopped on one foot and sent my right foot colliding into his cheek. He didn't even flinch.

"Tetsukawa no Jutsu (_Ironhide Jutsu_)," he muttered before slamming a powerful fist into my stomach.

Gritting my teeth in pain, I countered with an uppercut which effectively knocked his head over, flipped onto my arms, and kicked him into the air. Leaping in pursuit, I prepared to execute my signature Shishi Rendan.

However, as I approached him, he suddenly twisted towards me without warning and violently caught hold of my neck. Choking, I desperately began emitting Chidori Negishi to shake him off. But my jutsu seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.

Pulling me back, he roared wildly and flung me towards the ground with all his strength.

BOOM!

I wasn't able to afford even a moment to catch my breath as he swiftly continued his assault by smashing into me from sky high. I struggled to escape but I couldn't lift a muscle. His weight seemed immense, many times greater than that of an ordinary human being.

"Sasuke!" I heard Sakura cry out.

"Who was this guy?" I thought. "He's… so powerful…"

"Is this all the great Uchiha Sasuke can do?" he laughed. "I'm very disappointed. Tora no Hoko."

Facing the clouds, he unleashed a beastly howling which echoed in my mind over and over and over…

I was in a forest. Taiga was in front of me. All was quiet. There was no sign of Konoha or other people. We were alone.

"This is a genjutsu?" I asked.

He nodded.

"You should know this is pointless. I can break this illusion easily with my Sharingan."

"Not if you want to hear what I have to say. And it's not something I'd like other people to hear."

"What are you talking about?"

"It has to do with you and me. And Itachi."

The mere mention of his name brought a violent wave of hatred through my mind. "Itachi, you say?"

"Yes, I'm giving you an offer to take your revenge against Itachi."

Seeing that I was silent, he continued, "All you have to do is leave Team Kakashi and join the ANBU Black Ops. With your power, you should easily be able to gain entrance."

"What for?" I interrogated, perplexed at his proposition.

"The rest is for you to know once you've become part of the Black Ops."

I stayed quiet, pondering his words, "Who are you? And why are you helping me?"

"I am just another person who seeks vengeance against Itachi…"

His voice mellowed away into nothingness and before I knew it, I was lying on the ground in Konoha once again. I sat up and looked into his eyes.

"I'll be waiting at the Academy tomorrow at this time. I expect a favourable reply." Having said his piece, he walked away.

Sakura wasted no time in rushing over to my side and tending to my wounds with medical ninjutsu, "Sasuke, are you alright?"

I didn't say anything.

Next came Kakashi-sensei, "What did he say to you, Sasuke?"

"Nothing."

His eye told me he knew that it was more than nothing, "Well, I've got some stuff to take care of. So see you guys tomorrow."

And he vanished in a poof of smoke.

Telling Sakura that I was okay, I rose and stared in the direction in which Taiga had departed. The thought of finally taking revenge against Itachi was sweet and tempting, but what about Naruto? I frowned.

Inuzuka Taiga… who in the world was he really?

Under the scorching Sun floating low in the auburn sky, two figures shuffled across a seemingly endless ocean of sand. Their faces were concealed behind strips of paper hanging loosely from their simple straw hats and they were both garbed in a similar uniform: black robes adorned with red clouds. One of them was large and bulky while the other was slim and lanky.

"I see… So. First the one we gave Orochimaru… And now this one…" muttered the tall man. "Are our secrets safe with no one?"

"Sorry, can't be helped. Once I cast the jutsu, there's no telling how they'll turn out." replied his companion. "Are you sure that one bag's enough? Our opponent is a Jinchuriki host…"

"My jutsu are _all_ works of art… But just in case, I brought Ohako, my specialty…since our opponent is Ichibi."

Before they could proceed, a sudden tremor boomed across the horizon and landscape.

"What's going on? An earthquake?"

In an eruption of desert sand, a humongous snake burst forth from the bowels of the earth, aiming a bite at the two unsuspecting travelers.

CRUNCH!

Its maw closed in a flash.

"If I recall, this is one of Orochimaru's pet snakes, hmmm?" The skinny one had successfully escaped and now stood safely on the back of a large bird in the air which looked as if it was constructed out of clay.

"What does that traitor want?" said the other who had also somehow avoided being devoured and was now directly below his partner.

Annoyed, the snake reared backward and opened its jaws with an evil hiss.

"Sorry, Akatsuki folks, but Ichibi is going to be our prey." announced Kabuto as he leaped off the beast's tongue with Naruto in unison.

"And if you get in our way," warned the Nine-tails Jinchuriki. "We'll destroy you."

"This chakra… another Jinchuriki host?" muttered the bulky man.

"Perfect. We'll capture two at once, hmm?"

_to be continued…_


End file.
